Colonsay Gin - 50cl - 47% ABV

£38.50

We must admit to having a slight air of the proud, if un-intended, parent about us as we review Colonsay Gin, as its founder, Finlay Geekie, has been on a journey that we’ve seen evolve from enthusiast all the way to ginsmith and intercrossing ours on various occasions.

It all began when he and his wife, Eileen, moved to the island of Colonsay in 2016. “Our childhoods in Scotland were filled with regular holiday trips to the Western Isles and we did the same with our own children, so we always held a dream about returning to live and work on a Scottish island at some point,” Finlay told us. “We were just never certain on which one, or when!”

Thick, piny juniper coats the nose; it’s joined by a sweet rootey notes and a flicker of the burning calamus root and coriander seed fire. That heat is no real surprise here, given the spirit’s ABV of 47% and it’s not one that’s overtly noticeable.

This is a classic gin in many ways. There’s big, booming juniper pine throughout and in particular upfront. There’s no mistaking this as a juniper forward gin, flanked by an earthy root sweetness. There’s depth too, the coriander seed bring warmth, while the orange peel gives a subtle breath of citrus and the calamus brings its usual firery ginger-like rootiness. The gin lives on long after the final sip and the lasting finish is that of sweet roots.